The Olympic rings on the Beaulieu façade

Published on 4/29/2016 by

There is no missing the Olympic rings adorning the façade of Beaulieu Lausanne. The inscription under them reads "Lausanne Capitale Olympique". This designation was coined as part of a campaign carried out jointly by the city of Lausanne and the IOC.

Since 1915, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has had its seat in Lausanne. All of a sudden, towards the end of the 1990s, a debate broke out regarding the possibility of moving away as of 2001. In order to prevent that, Marquis Juan Antonio Samaranch, the IOC president at the time, and the city administration launched a campaign comprised of numerous measures. In addition, advertisements appeared on several hoardings depicting the Olympic rings and the inscription "Lausanne Capitale Olympique".

One of those inscriptions was fastened to the main Beaulieu building shortly before the opening of the 1998 Comptoir Suisse. It was most appropriate that the theme of the fair running at that time was the World of Sports. The campaign organised by the IOC and Lausanne was successful. Right through to today, Lausanne has remained known throughout the world as the Olympic capital.

By the way: To begin with, the building was called "Comptoir Suisse". After the Second World War, it was renamed "Palais de Beaulieu", which is what it remained until it was given its present name in 1998.